The shiitake mushroom a native of east Asia, whose Japanese name simply means, “tree mushroom”, has been long regarded as a valuable source of food and medicine in the east for centuries, especially in China, Japan, Korea and Russia. It is saprophytic, so it loves dead wood. Thus we grow our shiitake on organic grain supplemented sawdust. Shiitake mushrooms are a slower growing mushroom than some other species, and that extra effort comes through in the finished product.
It has grown in popularity in recent decades as a food source in North America. China may produce over 80% of the world’s shiitake, however more American based mushroom cultivators are helping fill the growing demand locally. Indoor cultivators prefer sawdust blocks yet many choose to grow on outdoor logs, a popular option for a small home grower. We offer shiitake plugs (and other spawn) if you are interested in cultivating you own mushrooms on logs.
As an edible mushroom, Shiitake boast a rich fragrance that sets it apart from the common mushroom, a firm meaty texture that is not lost in the cooking process, and a robust deep earthy flavor that is distinct yet adaptable taking on the notes of most any dish. Known for their deep Umami taste in eastern cuisine, shiitake are a culinary asset for enhancing the depth of flavor for almost any dish: meat, veggies, poultry, seafood, eggs, even in baked goods (shiitake sourdough is delectable). They are great sauteed, stuffed, roasted, grilled, and even pickled! Put some in your next soup, sauce, stir-fry, pasta or omelet. There are plenty of more exotic uses in brewing, infusions, teas, and fermentation. We offer a variety of mushroom infused products including tinctures, soaps, sun screen and bug spray.
